J-PAL MENA runs this two-year fellowship with support from Community Jameel and the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development. It is designed for early-career researchers in economics and related fields who want to add randomized evaluations to their research.
Fellows work with J-PAL affiliates, regional staff, and implementing partners on an evaluation while receiving mentorship and cohort-based training. They also complete two online MIT MicroMasters courses, join regional policy events, and may design an evaluation project in the second year.
Benefits & funding
- Each fellow receives a US$15,000 stipend over the two-year fellowship period to support participation in program activities.
- Fellows receive mentorship from the J-PAL network and join regional and worldwide peer networks.
- The program includes two online MIT MicroMasters courses, supplemental technical training, regional policy-event participation, and guidance on research communication.
Eligibility
- PhD-student route: the applicant must be pursuing a PhD in economics or a related discipline, have a nationality from the MENA region, and may study at a university inside or outside the region.
- Academic-scholar route: the applicant must have completed a PhD in economics or a related discipline and be affiliated with a MENA academic institution; the official page states no nationality condition for this route.
- Applicants must have fluent or native proficiency in both Arabic and English.
- Applicants must be interested in impact evaluation for poverty alleviation and development policy in MENA, be able to contribute to applied-microeconomics research projects, and commit to all fellowship activities for two years.
- Proficiency in Stata or R is highly recommended, but it is not stated as a mandatory condition.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Education required
PhD Enrolled · PhD
Circlebreaker is a free database of global fellowships, scholarships and programs — every one decoded like this.
We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.
Application process
- 1Check the two eligibility routes and use the route that matches current PhD status or completed-PhD academic affiliation.
- 2In the latest cycle, candidates submitted the phase-one online application by the stated deadline.
- 3Shortlisted candidates were due to receive phase-two invitations by mid-April 2026 and had about three weeks to complete that stage.
- 4Final shortlisted candidates were scheduled for online interviews with the selection committee in mid-May 2026.
Program timeline
Phase-one applications opened for the latest cycle.
February 26, 2026
Phase-one application deadline.
March 26, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Cairo time
Phase-two invitations were scheduled for shortlisted candidates.
By mid-April 2026
About three weeks after invitation
Phase-two application period.
Final online interviews were scheduled.
Mid-May 2026
The latest fellowship cohort was scheduled to begin.
No later than June 2026